HomeIn this post I explain how to replace a damaged LCD screen from a Dell Vostro 1500 laptop. In my laptop the LCD screen was cracked it could not be repaired. This set of instructions will work for Dell Inspiron 1520/1521 and many other Dell laptop. If it works for you, please mention the laptop model number in the comments below.
Before you start do not forget to turn off the laptop, unplug the AC power adapter and remove the battery.
STEP 1.
On the screen bezel you’ll find six screw seals. Four rubber seals and two plastic seals.
You can remove these seals with a sharp object.
Remove all six screws found under the seals.
STEP 2.
Start separating the screen bezel from the display cover with your fingers. You can use a piece of soft plastic to separate the bezel.
Continue separating the screen bezel on the top of the display and after that move to the lower part.
Finally, remove the screen bezel.
STEP 3.
Remove four screws securing the LCD screen to the left mounting bracket.
STEP 4.
Remove four screws securing the LCD screen to the right mounting bracket.
STEP 5.
Remove two screws securing the web camera.
STEP 6.
Separate the LCD screen assembly from the display cover. As you see, the web camera is still attached to the screen assembly.
STEP 7.
Plase the LCD screen assembly upside down on the palm rest.
The green ribbon cable is the video cable and it has two connectors. One of the is connected to the LCD screen and another one to the inverter board.
Carefully push on two latches on both sides of the LCD connector, release the cable and disconnect it from the LCD screen.
Pull the second connector up and disconnect it from the inverter board.
STEP 8.
Remove the screen assembly (LCD screen and inverter board).
The inverter board is attached to the bottom part of the LCD screen. The inverter board can be replaced separately.
The best way to find a new replacement screen is searching by the LCD screen model number or Dell part number. Both numbers can be found on one sticker with a barcode.
You can find a cheap replacment LCD screen for Dell Vostor 1500 and other Dell laptops here.
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November 13th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Andy,
If the backlight still works (even if it’s dull), most likely there is nothing wrong with the inverter.
Have you tried increasing the screen brightness using the keyboard shortcut – Fn key and Up arrow key?
Enter the BIOS setup menu and find out if you can adjust the screen brightness in there.
Check the display settings. Play with the screen resolution.
November 12th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
One additional detail to my last posting. I went into the BIOS and found that the brightness slider mimics the Function up/down problem – it’s brightest is at 5, roughly the middle of the range. It dims again from 6 to 8 (8 being maximum).
November 12th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Great site! I have an issue almost identical to Jenn’s above (post 22). My screen got cracked and I took it to a repair shop to get it replaced. They replaced the screen but not the inverter. Now the screen is noticeably dimmer and murky. The Function up/down is also messed up where the brightest setting is in the middle of the progression (sounds like that’s what Jenn is also describing). I also used the Intel utility but just can’t get it to brighten like it used to be. I can think of three possibilities:
1) The screen they sold me isn’t compatible with the Vostro 1500 other than it fits.
2) The screen the supplier sent was faulty.
3) Something else was damaged (it fell screen first into the corner of a table…don’t ask!), maybe the inverter needs to be replaced?
Can you please address this problem since two people now apparently have had the same issue? If it’s likely the inverter, where would I get one and how do I know it’s the proper one for this laptop/screen combo? Or does that matter?
Any help would be most appreciated!! Thanks!
November 12th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
My daughter has a vostro 1500. The screen is dull but still viewable but the viewing area has also shrunk leaving a black band down th right and bottom. It works fine when plugged into an external monitor. Does anyone know if this is just an inverter issue?
October 25th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Brian,
Google “screw extractor”. This tool might help to remove the stripped screw.
October 24th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Hi
Great guide! But I have a problem. The 3rd screw from top in Step 3 is a stripped screw. What do I do? I definitely cannot drill into it. Any other option? All other screws have been unscrewed but this is the last screw to remove and it is frustrating. What do I do? Please help.
October 16th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Hi,
I have Dell VOSTRO 1500 and the screen of the laptop is totally gone..Its totally BLACK. When I switch it ON, Lappy is ON as I can see the hard disk light and the noise from HD but like I said before LCD is BLACK and I can’t see a single thing.
What should I do? Should I replace the Inverter or the LCD screen? Or Both?
What are the specs for the Inverter for VOSTRO 1500?
October 14th, 2009 at 4:27 am
I would like to know how to obtain the replacement screen. In particular, do I need to search for exactly the same part number?
If I don’t have the original (broken) screen, how can I find out what the part number should be?
Also, would other LCDs of the same size be compatible? I imagine that even if they can physically be put in, there might be a problem of the inverter and backlight not being compatible. Do the inverter and backlight components always have to match the screen? And can the motherboard supply only a particular type of inverter?
That’s a lot of questions. Hope you can help.
A.
September 30th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Hello,
I cracked my LCD screen on my Vostro 1500. I bought a replacement on e-bay, which did not come with an inverter. I was able to reassemble, but the screen is dim, almost like it is in a lower power saving mode. I tried to adjust the brightness through the FN arrow up and arrow down, and it is almost random versus by darker and brighter in degrees), The power options are also at maximum performance. I have corrected colors through the Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator Driver. Is there anything else I can look at or do you suppose the screen is faulty??
Thank you!!!
September 24th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
W Allen,
From your description it’s not very clear if the cable is damaged or not. If the cable is not damaged, it should work fine I think.
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
FYI – On Vostro 1700 there are 2 more screws at bottom of screen, sorta step #4.5, after taking 8 screws out of side of screen. I guess larger screen required more support.
Also, in possible repair of my own problem, I snapped the cable back in place, maybe it will hold where it goes, but if connection is not their, still wondering if the rest of system will work w/o camera that doesn’t exist anyway?
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:32 am
I was following your instructions on my Vostro 1700, and all was going well.
I do not have a camera, so I ignored the part about unscrewing 2 screws for camera (step 5), but the ribbon cable still went up there and then snapped out when I folded screen down. Does not plug in, looks like some kind of tape, but beyond my capacity.
If I go ahead and get my inverter, and replace it, and reassemble, without this “camera” wire attached, should the rest of it still work seeings I never had a camera attached in first place?
September 8th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
J Apple,
I cannot tell without looking at the laptop.
September 8th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Sorry Inspiron 1520…as you are looking at the display, the top left screw and the screw to the right of the webcam….thanks
September 8th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
I can’t seem to get two screws out…now what do I do?
Thanks
August 14th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Many thanks for the clear and accurate instructions for replacing a defective inverter board on my Dell Vostro 1500. Even working slowly and carefully so as not to damage anything–I had the entire job done in 20 minutes.
Should your travels bring you to the San Francisco Bay area, we’d love to have you as a guest(s) at Osprey Peak B&B–on the house. We’re on the Marin Coast surrounded by the Point Reyes National Seashore.
You saved me time and money and I appreciate it very much.
August 6th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Thanks a lot for the detailed instructions. The only problem was how to deal with the invertor portion at the end. My new monitor did not have little metal brackets to house the invertor or the camera. I was able to squeeze everything in and it seems to work just fine.
BB
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:32 am
Hi, I have a question similiar to what someone else asked. I am replacing a cracked screen and i’m finding cheaper WSXGA+ dell vostro screens than WXGA+ screens. Can i upgrade, and if so, do i need to replace both the screen and the inverter, or can i just replace the screen.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Thank you so much for your pictures! I have a Dell Vostro 1500 and the screen wasn’t lighting. You could faintly see the items on the desktop, but the screen was very dark. My computer repair person said it was probably the screen going bad, but it wasn’t worth fixing. A little research on the net led me to believe it was the screen inverter and not the screen itself, since it was working at times and/or the screen would flicker. Your pictures gave me the confidence that I needed to try and replace it myself. I found the inverter for under $9 with free s/h on ebay. With the help of your pictures I was able to replace the inverter and now my screen lights perfectly!
July 16th, 2009 at 7:06 am
Hi,
I just bought a DELL LATITUDE D531 FOR £40 ( US$ 90 ) , the SCREEN was history i.e. cracked! , but the rest of the laptop was as new! , so I bought a screen off ebay.co.uk for £70 free postage, installed it using the above guide , and voila! my laptop works fine , all i now is to re-install XP! I also needed a charger for a d531 , again I used my favorite acution site ebay , bought one for £16.99 free postage.
Thank You.
Regards
JOEY
July 11th, 2009 at 9:41 am
I’ve been researching replacing my dell screen (vostro 1500/inspiron 1520) and have not been able to find out this info, so maybe the community here will know.
when you replace the screen, is it possible to upgrade it in resolution? (from 1200×800 to 1900×1200 for example) or does it have to be the exact same screen?
Thanks in advance.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Your instructions seems easy to follow. I have a dell inspiron 1521. This the second time my screen is going bad. The first time happen only a month after i bought the computer (should av taken it as a sign). Only 1/2 my screen is showing; the bottom 1/2 have white lines going horizontally across it. The first replacement was covered under the warranty. The warranty is now up! I have notice now that on both occasions the problems with the screens are identical; could it be that my computer have a problem beyond what simple replacing the screen can fix? In other words: Could the faulty lcd be a symptom of something else? Cause i don’t want to replace the LCD and it end up with the same problem. Thnaks
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:07 pm
kirk,
I cannot tell without looking at your original screen. You have to make sure that the replacement screen is the same type and has the same resolution.
To make sure your new screen works with the original cable, I would suggest buying the exact replacement.
Before you order a new screen, remove the old one (it takes only 10-15 minutes) and look for the part number on the back of the screen. That’s how do it.
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:43 pm
hey i have a dell inspiron 1520 and i found it on your link to ebay but it says 1500 or something else but yea, i wanna get the right screen but would rather wait to take it out until i get the new one thanks abunch!! will those screens work with mine
June 29th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Devon,
No, it’s not necessary to replace the inverter but usually new Dell screens have a new inverter attached to it. It depends where you buy the screen.
If you can find just the LCD screen, replace just the LCD screen. The old inverter should work with a new screen just fine (I assume you buy the same type of screen as the broken one).
If your new screen comes with the inverter than it’s easier to replace both.
June 29th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Devon,
The webcam is attached to the video cable. When I replace the LCD screen, I leave the webcam in place (attached to the cable) and replace just the screen. You are not replacing the webcam when replacing the LCD screen.
June 28th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Snagged one more problem??
What do you do with the cam???
WIll the old Cam fit right onto the top of the new LCD screen?
Just like the inverter issue… please advise …
Thank you!
June 27th, 2009 at 5:06 am
Thank you very much for your illusterated instructions on the repair!
I have the same model Dell Vostro 1500 with the same exact problem -cracked LCD still working with 30% black blue screen – that needs replacement.. My question is howevre,
Do I need to replace Both inverter and the LCD screen?
IF YES, then
Do I have to look for both parts seperately or do they come togeather?
like LCD screen comes attached with inverter?
And if my current inverter is working fine, would it be compatible with the new LCD screen?
Thank you
Devon
June 24th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
vik,
I didn’t take pics for removing the inverter, but I think all you have to do is remove one screw and unplug cables. After that you release the inverter from the metal casing on the screen.
June 21st, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Your guide is really cool. Can you please explain how to remove the inverter card attached to the bottom of the screen. I have opened my system following your steps but now I am stuck at the last step as I have a faulty inverter. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Vik